In Anglicanism, a licensed lay minister (LLM) or lay reader (in some jurisdictions simply reader) is a person authorised by a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

to lead certain services of worship (or parts of the service), to preach and to carry out pastoral and teaching functions. They are formally trained and admitted to the office, but they remain part of the

laity In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. In both religious and wider secular usage, a laype ...

, not of the

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the t ...

History

Ancient office of reader

From the third century the office of reader (or lector) became recognised as one of the minor orders of the clerical state. Candidates for ordained ministry (as

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

s and

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

s) were first admitted to the sequence of minor orders, including that of lector or reader. The minor orders have been largely absent from the Anglican Church since the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...

(with some localised exceptions) and in the Roman Catholic Church they have also been suppressed. However, the "ministry of reader" (in the Roman Catholic Church) and the office of reader or lay reader (in the Anglican Church) represent a continuation of the reader tradition.

Modern revival

The office of Reader has existed in its present form since 1866. Reader ministry was originally restricted to men only. The first female readers were licensed during the First World War due to the shortage of men. The first group of women admitted were called " bishop's messengers" and they existed in 22 dioceses in England and one diocese in Canada. After the war there was a gap until 1969 when more female readers were appointed. There are now many thousands of readers in the Anglican churches, including around ten thousand in the Church of England and around 300 in the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second l ...

. They are equally split between women and men.

Relationship to holy orders

In the Roman Catholic Church, candidates for ordination as a deacon must first have been admitted to the ministry of reader (Canon 1035). Whilst Anglican canon law has no such requirement, the canons of some provinces of the Anglican Communion allow for ordination candidates to be admitted as readers as part of their preparation for ordination as a deacon; this practice is common, for example, in the Church of Ireland where ordination candidates so admitted are known as student readers; the student reader's licence permits them to serve in any diocese rather than being bound (as in the case of diocesan readers) solely to the diocese of their licensing bishop.

Term

Following a Church of England working party report to the General Synod in 2009 most English dioceses have adopted the term "licensed lay minister". Where the terms "reader" and "lay reader" are still in common use, they are largely interchangeable. The original term in the Church of England was simply "reader", but "lay reader" is an early and common colloquialism, which has come to have official force in some parts of the Anglican Communion. In the Church of England the governing Canon E5 still references the office by the single word "reader". In the

Scottish Episcopal Church The Scottish Episcopal Church ( gd, Eaglais Easbaigeach na h-Alba; sco, Scots Episcopal(ian) Kirk) is the ecclesiastical province of the Anglican Communion in Scotland. A continuation of the Church of Scotland as intended by King James VI, and ...

the governing Canon 20 always refers to the office by the two-word term "lay reader". In the Church of Ireland the generic term used is "reader", but usually qualified as "diocesan reader" or, in the case of those admitted as part of their preparation for ordination, "student reader" (see above).

Admission

Following training (usually over several years) a candidate is publicly admitted as a licensed lay minister or reader by the bishop. Standards of training and forms of admission are regulated by the Anglican Consultative Council and by the Canons of each province. Lay readers are usually admitted during a celebration of the Eucharist. As part of the rite they are presented with a copy of the New Testament (CofE Canon E5 and a certificate of admission to the office of reader (CofE Canon E5 . In most provinces they are also clothed with a blue tippet over their cassock and surplice. Admission as a licensed lay minister is a once-only and permanent rite. However, like clergy, lay ministers must be relicensed if they move between parishes or dioceses (CofE Canon E6), but they are not again admitted to the office of lay minister as their original admission is a permanent act (CofE Canon E5 .

Role and duties

Anglican lay ministers are licensed by the bishop to a particular

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

or to the

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

at large. The vast majority of lay ministers are volunteers, although a small number are stipendiary ministers (paid to work full time) and the canons of the Church of England make provision for the terms of employment and service of a stipendiary lay minister. The role, whose prominence varies by region, bears many similarities to both the traditional liturgical role of reader in the historic Catholic rites of the church and the role of lay preacher found in many non-conformist denominations. The role can involve: *Conducting the Daily Office ( Mattins,

Evensong Evensong is a church service traditionally held near sunset focused on singing psalms and other biblical canticles. In origin, it is identical to the canonical hour of vespers. Old English speakers translated the Latin word as , which becam ...

, Compline) or other non-sacramental services *Reciting the Litany *Publishing banns of marriage * Preaching, teaching, and assisting in pastoral care *Distributing (though not presiding at)

Holy Communion The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in others. According to the New Testame ...

. *Participation at other services as requested by their incumbent *In some cases the role may include conducting funerals In many parishes a lay reader may carry out liturgical functions at the Eucharist similar to the role of the liturgical deacon; in parishes of

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches. The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglica ...

tradition a lay reader may vest and act as subdeacon at Solemn Mass. Many of these duties can be performed by any reasonably competent lay person who has been properly instructed, but a lay reader is licensed to perform them as part of a wider leadership role, following extensive training. This training and licensing elevates the reader to a particular ministerial role and function recognised as being distinct from the parish-based lay leadership of local congregational volunteers. Their theological training enables them to preach, teach, and lead worship, and they are also able to assist in pastoral, evangelistic and liturgical work.

Training

Training to become a reader is rigorous and follows a period of testing and preparation. In many dioceses this involves some form of access training that introduces the concept of theological reflection as well as the nature of ministry. All potential readers attend a diocesan advisory panel to test their calling and assess their suitability for the role. The recommendations from this are fed to the parochial church council (PCC) in the candidate's own parish, which must confirm that it will support the candidate during training and will agree to the candidate going forward for licensing. Training takes place over one to three years (depending on prior theological training) at a local theological college and is often shared with ordinands and those preparing for other types of ministry. Reader training in the Church of England is overseen by the University of Durham and most candidates study for a CertEd or diploma in theology. All readers will have a working agreement in place which is agreed with their incumbent. This outlines their duties and aims to promote a balance between their work and family commitments. Candidates may undergo a placement in a parish other than their home parish to gain broader experience. Reader training usually incorporates a selection of the following and this can vary across training colleges * Old Testament * New Testament * Christian theology * Liturgy and worship * Pastoral care * Study of local context * Mission * Spirituality * Ethics * The nature of Christian salvation * Church history * Leadership skills and self-awareness (usually a Myers Briggs workshop) * Ministry to the dying and bereaved * Preaching skills As well as this there are also practical skills that are learnt within the home parish such as leading worship and preaching. At the end of training the PCC has to agree to the candidate going forward for licensing. The candidate is licensed as well as admitted to the Order of Readers at a service in their local cathedral. The following day their licence is read in their home church and the new reader preaches at that service.

Notable lay readers

Arthur Addison Arthur Richman Addison (17 May 1842 – 29 July 1915) was an Australian politician. History Addison was born in Adelaide on 17 May 1842. His parents, Thomas Plummer Addison and Eliza, arrived in South Australia aboard the ''Pestonjee Bomanje ...

, Australian politician * Cass Ballenger, American politician * Christina Baxter, British theologian and academic * Kendal Chavasse, decorated British Army officer * Vernon Corea, Sri Lankan-British radio broadcaster * Major General

Tim Cross Major-General (United Kingdom), Major General Timothy Cross, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 19 April 1951) is a retired British Army officer and military logistics expert.Sir William Fittall Sir William Robert Fittall (26 July 1953 – 10 March 2022) was a British civil servant and Anglican lay reader. From 2002 to 2015, he served as the secretary-general of the Archbishops' Council and the General Synod of the Church of England. H ...

, Secretary-General of the General Synod of the Church of England * Philip Fletcher, British public servant * Sydney Gedge, British politician * Paula Gooder, British theologian * Edwin Ray Guthrie, American behavioural psychologist *

Ihaka Hakuene Ihaka Te Tai Hakuene (1836 – 6 April 1887) was a 19th-century New Zealand tribal leader, lay reader and a Māori member of the New Zealand parliament. Of Māori descent, he identified with the Nga Puhi iwi. He was born in Rawhiti, Northla ...

, Māori leader * John Wodehouse, 5th Earl of Kimberley, British peer *

Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Christopher Columbus Kraft Jr. (February 28, 1924 – July 22, 2019) was an American aerospace and NASA engineer who was instrumental in establishing the agency's Mission Control Center and shaping its organization and culture. His protégé ...

, American aerospace engineer and NASA engineer * Sir Ted Leather, Governor of Bermuda * Fritz Leiber, American author * Ann Moss, British scholar of French literature *

Alfred Owen Sir Alfred George Beech Owen (8 April 1908–29 October 1975) was the son of Alfred Ernest Owen (who in 1910 became the sole-proprietor of the British engineering company Rubery Owen & Co). Sir Alfred was educated at Emmanuel College, Cambr ...

, British industrialist *

James R. Parsons James Ranelagh Ponsonby Parsons (ca. 1839 – 9 August 1905) was a South Australian educator. Parsons was born in Ireland, the son of Henry Parsons of Trim, County Meath. In 1848 he accompanied his parents to Tasmania, where he spent his ear ...

, South Australian educator *

Ike Robin Ihakara Te Tuku Rapana (8 November 1886 – 21 June 1968), commonly known as Ike Robin, was a New Zealand sportsman, businessman, orator and member for the Māori Anglican Church. A champion sheep shearer and professional wrestler, he was the ...

, New Zealand sportsman * H. W. F. Saggs, British Assyriologist *

Robert Sands Schuyler Robert Sands Schuyler (March 6, 1830 – July 24, 1895), often written as R. S. Schuyler and occasionally as R. V. Schuyler (perhaps from a bad NRHP transcription), was a New York architect, designer, and religious leader who moved to Florida a ...

, American architect * Robert John Sholl, settler of Western Australia * Paraire Tomoana, Māori leader, journalist, historian, and sportsman * Richard Wilbur, American poet

References

{{reflist

External links

Central Readers' Council in the British Isles and EuropeCollege of Readers in the British IslesLay Reader, Episcopal Church, USA
Anglican ecclesiastical offices